


Time Has Been Good to You

by Impala_Chick



Category: British Actor RPF, Merlin (TV) RPF
Genre: Are You Having a Draft?, Boys Kissing, Bradley in his Football Kit, British Character, Getting Back Together, House Party, M/M, Romance, Second Chances, alternate universe - no coronavirus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24084766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Bradley and Colin have both moved on, grown up, and experienced a lot since filming Merlin. When Colin is invited to a fantasy football league party, he finds out that Bradley has gained courage and worked out what’s actually important to him now, as a thirty-something.
Relationships: Bradley James/Colin Morgan
Comments: 15
Kudos: 76
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020, Merlin RPF Prompts & Fests





	Time Has Been Good to You

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to dishonestdreams for the fantastic brainstorming help, brit-picking, and fast beta! I won their auction at Fandom Trumps Hate 2020 and am so glad I did. You wouldn't believe all of the Americanisms I didn't even know were Americanisms.
> 
> Written for [ this Anon prompt](https://merlinrpf.livejournal.com/218437.html?thread=762181#t762181) at Merlin RPF fest 2020. Thanks for the inspiring prompt!
> 
> This is completely fictional and I mean no disrespect to any real life actors. 
> 
> (This fic is based on the [Are You Having a Draft](https://twitter.com/HavingADraft/status/1245430221458857990/photo/1) Party that might have been been)

Colin took a deep breath and tugged at the hem of his shirt before knocking at Bradley’s front door. He didn’t have to wait long before a smiling man with short brown hair pulled open the door. 

“Oi, Commish! Your boy is here!” He yelled over his shoulder as soon as he saw Colin, before ushering him inside. Colin didn’t visibly react, because he was used to people recognizing him. But he didn't know who “commish” was. Or why he was his “boy.”

“Come in, Bradley will be around here somewhere. I’m Andy, nice to meet you.” Andy shook Colin’s hand and headed down the hallway, beer in hand. The hallway opened up into a living room, where three people were seated on the blue corner sofa. The couch was surrounded by people Colin didn’t recognize, all holding beers and chatting happily. Music was playing in the room, but it was low enough for him to hear the murmur of people’s voices. All quite normal for a party, except everyone was wearing football shirts. 

Colin looked down at his light blue button up and skinny black jeans and felt overdressed. He couldn’t even remember the last time he watched an entire football game, let alone actively rooted for a team. Bradley had assured him he was just hosting a casual get together with a bunch of “normal” friends. And Colin happened to be in town, so it had felt rude to turn down the invitation. 

Not that Colin didn’t want to see Bradley again, because he did. But it had been awhile. It was hard for him to know exactly what Bradley expected from him. Were they supposed to try the whole casual friends thing now? They had failed spectacularly at that before. Sex had made things more complicated than either of them had expected.

Colin scanned the room, trying to figure out where to go. He’d lost track of Andy, but he figured he might as well just keep walking around until he found someone he knew. It wasn’t long before he heard his name, and Colin looked up to see the familiar face of Marcus Ellard. He breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Marcus.” Colin said as he stuck out his hand. Marcus had been Bradley’s best friend since forever. If Bradley was hosting a party, it was nearly a guarantee that Marcus was going to be there. That’s how Colin had met him before.

“How’s it going, mate? Bradley is through this way,” Marcus said as he shook his hand and slapped Colin on the shoulder. “He’ll be so glad you made it.” 

Colin held out the bottle of wine he’d brought awkwardly. 

“Oh right, excellent. Are you drinking this? Let’s grab you a glass.” Marcus took the bottle from him and led the way to the kitchen. There was one guy bent over a cutting board, his curly brown hair askew as he concentrated on the onions rolling around on the counter top. 

“This is Phil. He has to cook for us tonight,” Marcus said as he muscled his way into the kitchen to grab a glass out of the cupboard above the sink. “And it’s going to be good, right Phil?”

“Well if it isn’t, blame Yare.” Phil wiped his brow and went back to chopping. Marcus laughed as he popped the cork on the rosé Colin had brought and poured him a glass.

“You like to cook?” Colin asked, just to make polite conversation. 

Phil looked up at him with a shark-like grin. “Marcus didn’t tell you? This is punishment for coming in last in the fantasy league.”

Colin didn’t visibly cringe, but it was a near thing. That explained why everyone was in their kit. Colin should have connected the dots based on the time of year. This was a _fantasy football party_ , which meant everyone was going to be talking about football all night. And Colin really wasn’t looking forward to that. Colin had a sneaking suspicion that Bradley had left out the theme of the party on purpose. 

“Don’t worry Phil, you make the catering zone look good,” Marcus teased before he turned back to Colin. “Let’s go find Bradley.”

Colin took a gulp from his glass and dutifully trailed behind Marcus. He introduced Colin to some more people on the way through the house, but Colin didn’t really catch their names. He wasn’t here to see any of them, anyway. There was a wide mix of people in the house, and it wasn’t particularly surprising that most of Bradley’s friends weren’t even actors. Bradley had always been a likeable person.  


Marcus pushed open the back door, which led down a few steps into Bradley’s garden. Colin stepped out into the sunlight, and he heard Bradley laugh before he saw him. He felt drawn to the sound, as familiar as it was even after so many years. That was a dangerous thought, just because Colin had no reason to believe this visit was going to be anything other than a casual friend thing. In the back of his mind, he was already planning his hasty exit to keep himself from getting too attached. He could probably tell Bradley he had another party to get to, or make up some excuse about having to get to work early the next day. 

Marcus turned to the left and called out for the “Commish,” and Bradley turned the full force of his smile on Colin. He was wearing his white and blue kit, complete with tall white socks.

“Colin!” Bradley bounded up and pulled Colin into a hug. Colin clapped him on the back with one arm, careful to keep his wine glass from spilling. With Bradley’s arm around him, Colin was reminded of Bradley hugging him after a scene, way back when they were both much younger. Bradley had smelled like sweat and the chicken from the catering truck, and Colin had revelled in Bradley’s touch anyway.

This time, Bradley smelled like sophisticated French cologne and the breezy freshness of recently finished laundry. It was a shocking but not unpleasant contrast. 

“I’m glad you came out, mate. It’s been a while.” Bradley’s eyes flicked down to Colin’s mouth, and Colin suddenly didn’t feel quite so out of place. That look was completely familiar to him. Rash action on Bradley’s part, and yet almost innocent too, because of how involuntary it was. Bradley was just flirty and always had been. But this was comfortable footing for Colin.

“You didn’t tell me there was a uniform,” Colin said, dropping his voice low. 

“Ah, well if I had - would you have come?” Bradley scratched the back of his head, and Colin’s eyes were immediately drawn to Bradley’s defined biceps. 

Marcus laughed, reminding Colin that he was still standing next to them. “Oh come off it, we aren’t that annoying.”

“I just wouldn’t want to bring down the mood,” Colin said as he looked over at Marcus.

“There’s plenty of family and friends here. Not everyone plays fantasy football,” Marcus pointed out. Colin could agree with that assessment. As he swept his gaze over the small garden, he saw a few milling about with their significant others. There were even a few kids running around. The scene was considerably more subdued than the Bradley used to host during filming. 

Bradley crossed one arm over his chest and held up his beer with the other. “Did you want to meet the rest of the guys? Or maybe have the grand tour? I don’t think you’ve been to my new place before.”

Colin took a sip of his wine, eyeing Bradley over the rim of the glass suspiciously. Of course he’d never been to Bradley’s new place before. After Merlin had wrapped, Bradley had even made a real effort to come to his shows, and Colin had been flattered. But they had both been so ambitious back then, ready to capitalize on all of the fame from Merlin. Colin had wanted to do theater, Bradley had wanted to be an American television star. Colin had seen the writing on the wall even before Bradley had just stopped calling. 

It seemed that Bradley was offering him some sort of olive branch now.

“Sure,” Colin said after a beat. 

Bradley grinned and used his free hand to gesture in front of them both. “After you.”

“Cheers,” Colin said to Marcus as he stepped away. Bradley clapped him on the shoulder before he started walking. They were practically the same height, so their shoulders bumped as they walked. Bradley nodded and smiled at a couple people as they made their way towards the house, but he didn’t stop to chat. 

“So why do they call you the commish, eh?” Colin asked as he elbowed Bradley in the ribs. 

“Okay, I know you’re just asking to tease. But I’m the president of our little fantasy league,” Bradley said. That did make Colin laugh, but it wasn’t surprising. 

“Ah, I see. Was there a vote? Or did you just seize power like the King?” 

“There was a very casual vote. Besides, I only play a King on t.v.,” Bradley said with a grin.

When they reached the back door, Bradley held it up open just wide enough for Colin to slide past him.There was not enough evidence to establish whether Bradley had done it on purpose, so Colin turned to face Bradley as he scooted past. He watched Bradley’s face, curious as to how Bradley would react. He kept himself very still, his eyes on Colin’s lips. Colin remembered back when Bradley used to touch him all the time, and make it all seem like one big joke. It was strange how Colin’s actions brokered almost no reaction from him now.

“So, you’ve already seen the kitchen where our lovely losers are cooking up a storm,” Bradley narrated as they walked past.

“Oi! Haven’t you heard not to talk shit to your cooks!” A black man in an apron called out, teasing. Phil was still chopping vegetables.

“Don’t worry. Yare is all bark and no bite,” Bradley said as he gave a little wave to the kitchen. Colin snorted, eating up the casual atmosphere. It was even better that he wasn’t the center of it, and he could just enjoy watching Bradley in his element.

“Okay, and you’ve seen the living room in front. Let’s go upstairs, shall we?” Bradley said as he walked down the hallway. 

“Lead on, commissioner,” Colin teased. Bradley rolled his eyes and then started up the polished wooden stairs. 

Colin didn’t hang back intentionally, but he was rewarded anyway. Bradley was always the kind of guy who knew how to make himself look good, so it came as no surprise that his football shorts ran a little bit small. He filled out the shorts quite nicely, and his thick thighs were on full display. 

“This is a two bedroom place, very sophisticated.” Bradley looked over his shoulder once he reached the top of the stairs. “My mother was proud when she came over.”

“I bet, Bradley.” Colin teased. But he was sincere when he added, “You’re doing well for yourself.”

“I couldn’t keep living like a student, you know? I’m older now, so time to act like it,” Bradley mused as he held open a door to the first room on the right. 

It was presumably a spare bedroom, because it was devoid of any personal effects. But the big bed was made, and there was an odd looking modernist painting on the wall. 

Colin looked up to find Bradley watching him. “This is so clean it could be a hotel room.” 

Bradley pulled the door shut with a laugh and then continued down the hall, taking a sip of his beer as he walked. The next door revealed a bathroom, and then at the end of the hallway there was one more door. Bradley opened it with a flourish and walked inside with his free arm raised. 

“And the grand finale, my bedroom.”

Colin stepped inside, not even sure what he was expecting. Sure, he had been in Bradley’s bedrooms in the past. Like when they were working on Merlin, and they’d had almost identical hotel rooms. Or when Bradley invited Colin over to his flat a couple of times during the off season. This room didn’t look like any of those past ones. It had a huge dresser, and soft red sheets, and photographs in frames on all available surfaces. 

“And I've got my own en suite,” Bradley said proudly before he sipped his beer. Colin could admit that this side of Bradley could be mistaken for sophisticated. It was a nice change. But Colin still wasn’t sure why Bradley had invited him over. 

“So you brought me up here to show off your place?” Colin asked as he walked around the room. One photo in particular on the dresser caught his eye. It was from the set of Merlin - the whole cast sitting on the steps in front of Château de Pierrefonds. 

Bradley walked up behind him to peer over his shoulder.

“I’ve always liked that picture,” Bradley said softly. Bradley’s breath tickled Colin’s ear. “I just thought you should know that I've been doing some self-improvement.” 

Colin turned around, openly appraising Bradley as payback for Bradley getting so close to him. His blonde hair was gelled up slightly in the front, his mouth looked moist from his beer, and his football shirt stretched tight across his pecks. 

The room started to feel warmer when Bradley didn’t step back. Colin took a chance and decided to say exactly what he’d been thinking. “Time has been good to you, clearly.” 

Bradley put his beer down on his dresser. He left his hand on the surface of it, so that he was nearly touching Colin with his arm. Bradley’s eyes were still that same beautiful blue that they’d always been, and he looked so earnest and sincere. 

“Look, I just really wanted to see you. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. But if you wanted to give us another go -” Bradley stopped and bit his lip, looking uncharacteristically shy. Colin felt his heart constricting from the surprise of Bradley’s words. He’d never been so straightforward before. 

Before, Bradley had never wanted to talk. He’d put his mouth to use in only the physical sense. After awkward fumblings and whispered revelations, there was never enough time for them to make their _thing_ resemble something like a relationship.

Bradley _had_ changed. But Colin was different too, and he didn’t want to talk. He just wanted to reach out and touch and _take_. He practically ached with it. It was like Bradley's words had opened the floodgates. Colin put his own wine glass down on the dresser, and leaned forward. He heard Bradley gasp a little, and Colin involuntarily focused on Bradley’s mouth.

“You have a whole group of people downstairs waiting for you,” Colin said gruffly. He watched Bradley swallow. 

“Oh, I’m not saying - Colin, I’m not propositioning you right now!” Bradley said with a laugh. But he reached out his hand and rested his fingers gently against Colin’s hip.

“Well that’s a shame, then.” 

Bradley snorted before Colin pressed in the rest of the way. They fit together just the way they had before, only Bradley was confident and sure as he moved into the kiss. Bradley tilted his head, using his tongue to trace Colin’s bottom lip. The fingers at Colin’s hip tightened, and Colin put his arms around Bradley’s lower back to pull them flush together. 

Colin ate up Bradley’s soft gasps and bold tongue. Bradley’s fingers didn’t wander, but Colin’s did. He reached down to cup Bradley’s arse, squeezing with one hand. He loved the way Bradley reacted to his touch, moving his tongue delicately against Colin’s and canting his hips up. 

Bradley leaned back a little bit after that and took a deep inhale. “I didn’t think - I didn’t know how this would turn out.” 

Colin moved his hand from Bradley’s arse to his face. Bradley’s pupils were blown wide and he was still breathing heavily, his lips puffy from the kiss. He kept flicking his gaze from Colin’s lips to his eyes, and the intensity Colin saw there was something entirely new. Bradley’s focus only made Colin want him more, even though Bradley had made it clear that maybe they should take it more slowly this time around. He made a joke to cut the tension. “It was a good move though, bringing me up to your room.”

Bradley dropped his hand and took a cautious step back, his face guarded. He looked embarrassed, and Colin instantly regretted his words. Colin took a deep breath and followed Bradley’s lead from earlier. He could be honest, too.

“I came here expecting you to have a girlfriend or something. I thought you were trying to show off your new and improved life. I never in a million years thought you’d still be interested,” Colin admitted. 

“But you’re not - seeing anyone, are you?” Bradley asked with an eyebrow raised, worry creeping into his voice.

Colin scrunched up his face, thinking about the short list of people he’d regrettably been in a relationship with after Bradley, and shook his head. And then a thought occurred to Colin. Practically as soon as Bradley saw him, he’d gone out of his way to show Colin how nice his house was and how grown up he’d become. But it was possible that he was trying to prove something to himself just as much as he was trying to prove something to Colin.

“You didn’t have to buy this house or change your teeth or anything to impress me, you know that right?” Colin put his fingers around Bradley’s forearm. 

“Yeah? Well, I didn’t do it just for you,” Bradley said. 

Colin tugged Bradley closer. “Good. Because I was always impressed by you, Bradley.” 

Bradley’s face lit up, his grin wide and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He put his hand back on Colin’s hip. “I’m just in this great place now, and I’d like to share it with someone.”

Colin wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Bradley’s words made everything seem so _serious_. Colin wasn’t necessarily scared of serious, but it was still a concept Colin was having a hard time wrapping his head around.

“Don’t overthink this,” Bradley scolded gently. “I’m just trying to show you that I know what I want. I want to be open with you.” 

He leaned in and kissed the corner of Colin’s mouth gently. The gesture was so sweet that Colin couldn’t stop the soft ‘ah’ that bubbled out of his throat. 

“You don’t have to answer now. Maybe we ought to get back down to the party,” Bradley said as he picked up his beer. “I do have a trophy to give out tonight.” 

“Oh, I think I need to stick around for that,” Colin said, reaching out for his own glass. 

“Yeah?” Bradley raised an eyebrow, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “I do have a spare bed, you know, if you needed a place to stay.” 

“I’ll consider it,” Colin said mock-seriously, his eyes on Bradley. “Lead the way, James.”

Bradley grinned and made his way out of the room. “I swear, we won’t just talk about football at this party.”

Colin scoffed. “You don’t have to entertain me. I’ll be fine. Besides, if it’s too boring I could sneak off to the spare room.” 

Bradley snorted in reply as they made their way back down the stairs to rejoin the party. Colin couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he thought about Bradley’s warm hands, reddened cheeks, and kiss-swollen lips. There’s no way his friends weren’t going to notice. And Colin didn’t mind one bit.


End file.
